Although I had never been there despite my many trips tasting in Napa Valley, I was repeatedly surprised by the party, wines, and, best of all, great E&A group at the event. With our gold wristbands firmly fastened, we were given large wine glasses and told to roam the property. Want to enter the barrel room? Go ahead, and we’ll even have the winemaker meet you there to try barrel samples. We wiped the delicious grape juice from our chins and roamed out for some lunch. What a great spread, salads, Cuban sandwiches, and two types of tamales. Oh, and even more wine to sample. The salsa band started to play, and under the shade of the little grove we ate gourmet food, listened to great music and just soaked in the wonderful weather.
Then the competition began. Take off your shoes and socks, step into a barrel and you get 60 seconds to crush as many grapes as you can. The person with the most volume of juice wins. I didn’t realize grape stomping is a lot like dancing; everyone has their own method and rhythm. Super Stomper Richard from E&A even won 2nd place and a bottle of wine! Even better, Elizabeth grabbed Richard and turn the vineyard into a Salsa dancing machine. The band was so thrilled that they gave her a recording of their music.
Wine, food, perfect weather, an idyllic scene, uncontrollable smiles, and wonderful diverse E&A company. A perfect day in wine county.